Lentz' supreme mastery of the spacey arpeggio, and wrapping them ingeniously around beats that make you rock like a fool, even when you're typing an album review, doesn't flip the excellent formula on its head. She seeks constant improvement, and hones her producer chops, as a result, she's put together one of your favourite records of 2024.
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INTERVIEW
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George Ernst aka Suncastle: How have you been? Been up to much?

Abigail Lentz aka Le Morte d'Abby: Sadly, still working a day job. Moved to Nashville. Got a proper studio desk with sliding keyboard tray so I can get back to piano practice. :)

GE: How does it feel to be releasing your fourth record on Triplicate? You're very popular amongst our listenership!

AL: Feels good! And amazing to hear. Will be sticking to my release schedule, so there will be more this year.

GE: Which days in particular is the album title celebrating? If indeed the title is celebratory?

AL: Anytime anyone reminisces. Or speaks of the state of the world in some point in history. Or tries to complain that the world today is worse than it was “back then”. In Those Days, things were …

GE: If a dog was like 'Hey Abby, how's it going?' Would you do your best to ignore such an aberration for the sake of your own sanity or would you respond?

AL: I would be forced to assume I was either dreaming, drunk, or stoned. And would probably roll with it the best I could.

GE: What's your favourite track on the record? I love the weirdness of 'Woe to the Earth', particularly half way through when it starts to sort of fold in on itself.

AL: Woe to the Earth was a track I made right after the 5.0 FW update for Arturia’s MicroFreak came out. Used it, several of the presets that came with the update, and Arturia’s Dist Coldfire plugin. I did it while I was playing around with the new options. It’s hard to say which is my favorite. The more tracks I do the more I understand what I want and how to get it. I like Seed of the Woman for the fact that it’s about as basic one can get. But I would probably go with Et tu. It’s amazing what kind of “solo” an arp generator set to random can create with a little preparation and adjustment.

GE: I say this every time, but this is too good. Where the hell do you go from here?

AL: I keep going. With every release I try new things. And I learn more. And I get constructive criticism and feedback to make the next one better. And the more I do the more amazing artists I meet and connect with.

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REVIEW
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Completing a quadrilogy of superb records, from 2022's spectacular beat-heavy 'I Am', to last year's double feature of 'Impermanence', with its astral voyages & the cosmic extravagance of 'Orbital Mechanics', Abigail Lentz returns with an energetic and boundless venture, a fabulous album called 'In Those Days', that's guaranteed to put a smile on your brain.

'Eclipse' is a slow burning club track that comes further alive with every 'mm-tshh-mm-tshh-mm-tshh', under a warm envelope of beautifully arranged pads and sharp wailing notes; we're thoroughly back on the rails of the le Morte d'Abby express. Lentz' supreme mastery of the arpeggio, and wrapping it ingeniously around a beat that makes you rock like a fool, even when you're typing an album review, is nothing knew, but no one can deny it's getting better with every musical excursion she embarks upon. There's nothing more to say except, 'wow, what an opener'.

Counterpoint: What a follow-up! Well, not a counterpoint, I guess it supports what I was saying about... look, the second track is a banger too, OK? 'Seed of the Woman' thrives in a techno-laden futuresphere of bubbling electronica and a beat and bassline with all the fantastic mind-melding grit and edge of a Ratchet & Clank level. 'In Those Days' seems at this point to be a relentlessly upward pointing graph. The axis denote funk and the extent to which ones mind is blown.

She does not let up. 'Paroxysms', appropriately enough, is bursting with heart and purpose, and a reminder of just how much feeling Lentz can cram into a certified banger, and how good this is for your earholes. Over seven blissful minutes, we're taken into the sky and back again. It's an emotional roller-coaster, from which the only appropriate reaction is a stunned and delighted 'Oh My'.

'Et Tu' gets down to basics at first, with breakbeats and rumbling bass, before gradually coming to life again, building spectacularly like the opener 'Eclipse', this time by incorporating a cool key-stab melody and ominous wooshes. I'll say right now, you're not ready for the supreme funkiness of the mid-point reset, but go listen and experience it for yourself. Meanwhile, the longest track on the record, 'In the Snow (Both Ways)' is a wonderful and extensive meditation on percussive consistency, flaring with early promise with an infectious melody, and blooming spectacularly in the full flower of... lets say around the five minute mark. Much like the rest of Lentz' discography, this lengthy tune never outstays its welcome because you're too busy getting your awkward sit-down-dance on.

'Through the Static' sparkles with the warm space-dust of classic d'Abbyan electronica, laid over a tricky beat that makes more and sense as you let it overwhelm you. You have no idea where this one is going, trust me. Whereas 'Ataxia', with a similarly crazy, yet more conventionally structured beat, initially strikes a dark ambient note, with its woozy bent synthesizers, but soon strays into shinier waters, employing a tasteful coalition of creative melodic passages, and a classic Lentz midpoint switch up. These two experimental pieces are the cornerstone of le Morte d'Abby projects; Lulling you into an energetic yet comfortable haze, then sweeping the floor away to reveal something weird and better.

Finally, the ominously titled 'Woe to the Earth', brimming with menace and grandiosity, and a complex, rigid yet bouncy beat that will fascinate those who produce music themselves. It's a fitting closer, conveying the sound of boundless potential at first, before the track itself seems to collapse in a concave aural envelopment. What does this mean for the planet? Don't think about it. Just enjoy the musical candy. Or sit contemplatively, I'm not the boss of you. Either way, get ready to dance!